Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
Almost a quarter of euthanasia cases in Belgium involve patients who are not terminally ill, meaning their death is not expected in the near future. This is according to the biennial report by the Federal Commission for the Control and Evaluation of Euthanasia (FCEE). In 2025, there were 1,117 such cases, or 24.9 per cent of all registered euthanasia cases. A year earlier, the figure was 23.4 per cent.
The majority of these people were diagnosed as have 'polypathology' which means that they have multiple conditions but none of the conditions, alone, would likely lead to an approval to be killed by euthanasia. The Belga News reports:
In this group, a combination of different chronic and incurable conditions ('polypathology') is by far the most common reason for euthanasia: this accounted for 57.3 per cent of cases in 2025. Neurological conditions accounted for 15.8 per cent, while cognitive disorders (dementia) and psychiatric conditions each accounted for 6.3 per cent.
The article also states that the rate of investigating the deaths dropped. In 2024 80.2% of the deaths were only examined once while in 2025 85.6% were only examined once by the euthanasia commission.
The article states that euthanasia now represents about 3.8% of all deaths in Belgium. Many Belgian euthanasia deaths are not reported to the Belgium euthanasia commission.
Several years ago Dr Marc Cosyns stated that he does not report euthanasia deaths and studies show that Cosyns isn't alone in not reporting his deaths.
Euthanasia was sold to the public as being for mentally competent, terminally ill adults who were freely capable of consenting.
When Belgium expanded their euthanasia law, in February 2014, to include children, it was clear that eugenics was driving the force. Child euthanasia undermines the "safeguard" that a person is fully competent and capable of consenting.
By extending euthanasia to people with advanced dementia, the concept of being competent and consenting is completely ignored. These decisions are based on a decision that some human lives are not worth living.
A study by Belgian researchers and published in the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy on January 25, 2021, examines the practise of euthanasia in Belgium and concludes that legal requirements are being undermined and safeguards ignored. The study concludes that:
there are shortcomings in the Belgian euthanasia law, the application of that law, and the monitoring of euthanasia practice. This leads us to conclude that several of these shortcomings are structural and thus require more than simply increased oversight.
The study was conducted by Kasper Raus, Bert Vanderhaegen and Sigrid Sterckx from Ghent University and examines the official Belgian euthanasia data within the context of other studies that examine the application of the Belgian euthanasia law. This study is done by Belgian researchers who have been examining the Belgian euthanasia data for many years. One may disagree with the conclusion of the study but the data is impeccable.
The new eugenics is similar to the old eugenics, except that the new eugenics cloaks itself in the language of autonomy and choice, even when autonomy and choice are impossible.
Some recent articles on Belgium's experience with euthanasia.
- Belgian bioethics committee supports eugenic euthanasia (Read).
- Belgium debates expanding euthanasia to people with dementia (Read).
- Almost 4000 reported Belgian euthanasia deaths in 2024 (Read).
- The President of Belgium's largest health insurance fund promotes euthanasia as an answer to healthcare funding. (Read).
- Belgian doctor completes euthanasia with a pillow (Read).
- Belgium euthanasia study. Legal requirements are undermined and ignored (Read).
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